North contributed hymns to Sursum Corda (1898) and the Methodist Hymnal (1905) and was a charter member of the Hymn Society, which republished his eight hymns in a booklet in 1970.įor urban ministries and other occasions that emphasize missions and diaconal work. Editor of the periodical Christian City, North was active in many organizations that promoted and carried out Christian ministries in urban life. He was involved with the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America (forerunner of the National Council of Churches) and was the council's president from 1916-1920. Where cross the crowded ways of life, Where sound the cries of race and clan, Above the noise of selfish strife We hear your voice, 0Son of Man The noise of the street comer tends to drown out for most of us the voice of the Son of Man. A minister in several churches in Florida, New York, and Connecticut, he also held administrative positions-secretary of the New York Church Extension and Missionary Society (1892-1912) and secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Church (1912-1924). He was educated at Wesleyan University, Middleton, Connecticut, and ordained in the Methodist Church in 1872. Primarily a churchman, North devoted himself to loyal service in the Methodist denomination and to various ecumenical ventures. His prescription to follow in the footsteps of Christ and bring the gospel in word and deed is relevant as long as the Lord delays in bringing the New Jerusalem. North's descriptive phrases may have been startling at the turn of the century, but they are even more accurate descriptions of the massive cities in our world today. One of the earliest and finest modern "city hymns," this text focuses on the ills of our great urban centers (and ignores their benefits) with the insight and compassion of a Christian worker in the city slums. Modern hymnals have changed the original "thous" and "thees" to "yous." The text was also published in the 1905 Methodist Hymnal and in many other twentieth-century hymnbooks. 22:9), North wrote "Where Cross the Crowded Ways." After making various revisions and adding a title ("A Prayer for the Multitudes"), he published the text in The Christian City (June 1903), a missions journal he edited.
Inspired by Jesus' words "Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find" (Matt. North had intimate knowledge of urban life because of his work for the Methodist Church in New York City. Madison, NJ, 1935) to write a hymn text on city missions. Winchester, an editor of the 1905 Methodist Hymnal, challenged Frank M.
Who can ever forget the great prayer: "O Master, from the mountainside, make haste to heal these hearts of pain.O tread the cities' streets again 'til sons of men shall learn thy love."įrom paths where hide the lures of greed,įrom famished souls, from sorrow's stress,Ħ.Caleb T.
Probably not as popular to the average person in the pew as many gospel songs, nonetheless, it is a well-written hymn poetically, and a splendid supplication to God-that he continue to enter and bless our cities, with their turmoil, sin, and downtrodden humanity. The hymn, according to graphs, which trace such things, began appearing in church hymnals around the year 1950, and has continued ever since, peaking around the year 2000. The hymn was wedded to the tune " Germany," arranged by William Gardner, from what he claimed to be a Beethoven tune, though this was never verified. "Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life" is one of our best hymns on this subject. Never having been a missionary or having written a hymn, North sat in his New York City office overlooking the city, and saw gigantic mission needs right there in front of himself-and thus his hymn became one about the needs of cities. Frank Mason North (1850-1935), a noted New York City Methodist minister, and asked him if he would write a "missionary" hymn for the new hymnal. About a hundred-eight years ago, when the Methodist Hymnal of 1905 was being compiled, one of the editors of that hymnal went to Rev.
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